PBA season opener

MANILA, Philippines — The Barangay Ginebra Kings feel good about themselves but are wary of a TNT KaTropa side that they expect to be well motivated and prepared as they clash in the opener of PBA Season 44 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan tonight.

Game time is at 6:30 p.m. after the Leo Awards where San Miguel Beer main man June Mar Fajardo is tipped to bag an unprecedented fifth MVP award.

The Kings and the Texters take the floor in the opening game of the all-Filipino tourney where San Miguel Beer and Ginebra set out as the top favorites with their solid lineups with ceiling, depth, quickness, experience and a lot more.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone is confident they can make a good run in the tourney even against the San Miguel squad that shoots for a record fifth Philippine Cup crown.

But Cone expresses concern versus the Texters in tonight’s game.

“We feel TNT is real motivated because they have something to prove. They let go of Terrence Romeo. I’m sure it was a tough management decision, and the players have got to prove moving Terrence is the right thing,” said Cone.

“They’re gonna be motivated to prove that they can win and be better without him. That’s our anxiety about them. They’re gonna be great,” Cone added.

Meanwhile, one big reason they’re optimistic about a good run in the season is a healthy lineup.

For the first time in a while, Ginebra is starting the season with all its major players in harness.

“That’s the key, to be healthy. Generally, we’re healthy. Greg (Slaughter) is healthy, Japeth (Aguilar) is healthy and LA (Tenorio) who’s always healthy, is healthy. As long as those guys are healthy, we have enough to be good,” said Cone.

China has rejected as “unwelcome” the call of the United Kingdom, France and Germany on the South China Sea claimants to respect the arbitration ruling of 2016 and the rules-based framework laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Philippines and China effectively consigned to limbo on Thursday the UNCLOS-based arbitral ruling in 2016 on their maritime disputes, and moved to explore instead a wider Code of Conduct for resolving conflicts in the South China Sea.

It would be a betrayal of public trust should the Duterte administration accept China’s rejection of the landmark ruling that invalidated its sweeping claim over the South China Sea, parts of which is the West Philippine Sea, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said Saturday.